Apple’s top-end iPad models will be first in line to showcase Apple’s more powerful silicon, just as the iPad Pro with M4 did last generation. The new M5 iPad Pro is thin—even slimmer than the latest iPad Air—and it packs the same tandem OLED display and 11- and 13-inch flavors. It may essentially be a spec bump over last year’s Pro model, but if you were planning on running endless tiled windows with iPadOS 26, that still makes it your best bet.
The new M5 chip is the highlight. It promises faster AI performance than its M4 predecessor thanks to new neural engines built into each of the 10 GPU cores. That could lead to 3.5 times better performance when using apps that leverage AI. The new iPad Pro also includes what appears to be the same 10-core CPU—with four performance and six efficiency cores—as the new MacBook Pro 14 with M5. This means an enhanced ray-tracing engine is coming to Apple’s tablets, and that the new iPad Pro could be slightly better than the M4 silicon at 3D rendering.
Beyond the chip bump, the new iPads now support options for Apple’s own optional C1X cellular modem and N1 wireless chip that debuted in the iPhone 17. Apple also promoted similar memory write and read speeds to the M5 MacBook Pro 14. Memory bandwidth has jumped to 150GB per second, which should make multitasking slightly faster on the new version than it was on the 2024 iPad Pro. Otherwise, the 11- and 13-inch models both support WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity.
Why do you need a more powerful Apple tablet? Well, beyond the creative apps that require more horsepower, Apple promoted that the latest updates to iPadOS would enable users to have multiple apps on their screens at once. You’ll still find your workspace constrained—even if you opt for the larger screen—but if you were planning on using your tablet for multitasking with several intensive programs running in the background, you may be better off with the more expensive iPad.
The 11-inch model of the new M5 iPad Pro starts at $1,000; you’ll need to shell out $1,300 for the 13-inch version. Each comes with 256GB of storage at base, and if you jump for the 2TB options, prepare to spend $2,000 or more. That’s without opting for 5G connectivity, the $130 Apple Pencil Pro, and the $300 Magic Keyboard. All options start shipping Oct. 22